Los Angeles International Airport evacuated after shots reportedly fired

[Adam]

Los Angeles International Airport evacuated after shots reportedly fired

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Parts of Los Angeles International Airport were being evacuated Friday morning after reports of shots being fired there, police said.
Airport officials said a police incident began about 9:30 a.m. at Terminal 3 at LAX, airport spokeswoman Nancy Suey Castles said.

Passenger Robert Perez, who was getting ready to fly Virgin Air, was taking a nap in the terminal when panic erupted, he told CNN affiliate KCAL/KCBS.

"I heard a popping sound, and everybody was diving for cover," Perez told the station. "The TSA said there was a shooting in the terminal and evacuate the building."
At least 100 people came down a staircase. "Everybody started to panic," Perez said.

Fox Sports national columnist Bill Reiter was also at the airport during the gunfire. "After the initial burst of gunfire and hiding, people started jumping over one another, jumping off chairs, pushing each other. Chaos & fear," he said on his Twitter account.

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The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the suspect was wounded in a gunfire exchange. The local NBC affiliate says at least three people shot and the suspect is in custody.

[Norm dePlume]

My first thought when I heard this was the dry ice bombs a couple of weeks ago. Too many weird, unrelated events in the same place. It makes me a little paranoid. I start to wonder if someone is testing security; observing responses; probing for weakness; planning something bigger. Or maybe it's just random weirdness. It is L.A.

[Adam]

My first thought when I heard this was the dry ice bombs a couple of weeks ago. Too many weird, unrelated events in the same place. It makes me a little paranoid. I start to wonder if someone is testing security; observing responses; probing for weakness; planning something bigger. Or maybe it's just random weirdness. It is L.A.

Hard to know for sure, but it looks like if this guy was "testing security," then security seems to have failed rather badly:

Gunshots were reported at Terminal 3 just around 9:30 a.m., the FBI said. One witness said a person with a rifle opened fire after getting through a security checkpoint. The suspect exchanged fire with airport police, police said.

How in the flaming balls did someone get a RIFLE through security? WTF? Seriously, WTF?!?!

[Norm dePlume]

In my paranoid scenario, this guy would be a sacrificial pawn and other people would be doing the observing.

[Norm dePlume]

How in the flaming balls did someone get a RIFLE through security? WTF? Seriously, WTF?!?!

There are all sorts of possibilities. The rifle might have been stashed in the secure area by an airport staffer. The gunman comes through security without a gun, then retrieves the stashed rifle from a bathroom or a news stand or wherever it's stashed, and starts shooting.

[Adam]

There are all sorts of possibilities. The rifle might have been stashed in the secure area by an airport staffer. The gunman comes through security without a gun, then retrieves the stashed rifle from a bathroom or a news stand or wherever it's stashed, and starts shooting.

Well, that seems a little far-fetched and movie-ish, but I suppose it's possible. At least at BNA, airport workers (vendors, cleaning staff, etc.) go through dedicated security lines along with flight crews. I don't know for certain about folks like ground workers, but it still seems a little unlikely that a baggage handler could manage to wander around LAX with a rifle to stash and no one even noticed.

Then again, like you said, it is L.A.

[Norm dePlume]

Now the reporting sounds like the guy pulled the gun on the non-secure side of the security checkpoint and shot his way through.

The police said that a gunman pulled an assault rifle from a bag and opened fire about 9:20 a.m. as he entered Terminal 3 at the airport, one of the world’s busiest.

Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a news conference that the airport police had responded to the gunfire, trailed the man and shot him after he crossed through a security checkpoint as he continued firing the weapon. The authorities did not say whether the gunman had been killed, and the police said one person had been arrested.

[scott]

Now the reporting sounds like the guy pulled the gun on the non-secure side of the security checkpoint and shot his way through.

I've always said that the TSA checkpoints just moved the location of the sitting ducks from the plane to the lines in front of the screening.

[Gramps]

I've always said that the TSA checkpoints just moved the location of the sitting ducks from the plane to the lines in front of the screening.

Fuckin front page smileys are all Halloween....

Wanted to do the check mark, but didn't want to hit 'more' and find it...

[Norm dePlume]

I've always said that the TSA checkpoints just moved the location of the sitting ducks from the plane to the lines in front of the screening.

I think that's because they aren't concerned about someone ramming a Smarte Carte into a tall building. The TSA is there to protect the airplanes, not the people in the airport.

[Gingersnap]

Apparently they no longer have armed police at that checkpoint. The police presence is now "roving". I don't know much about this stuff so maybe that was a factor.

I'd really like to know why a 23 year old had a beef with TSA. I could kind of see some poor 47 year old who traveled 31 weeks a year snapping. Or will this turn out to be another Amish crime?

[Norm dePlume]

Fuckin front page smileys are all Halloween....

Wanted to do the check mark, but didn't want to hit 'more' and find it...

You can just type :~check: minus the tilde.

[Gramps]

You can just type : check : minus the spaces.

you do it and then quote me..

k?

fine?

[Lanie]

My first thought when I heard this was the dry ice bombs a couple of weeks ago. Too many weird, unrelated events in the same place. It makes me a little paranoid. I start to wonder if someone is testing security; observing responses; probing for weakness; planning something bigger. Or maybe it's just random weirdness. It is L.A.

I've always thought that 911 had inside help because one of the hijackers worked to hit the building in a particular spot (as if he knew exactly where to hit). There should be an investigation IMO.

[scott]

I think that's because they aren't concerned about someone ramming a Smarte Carte into a tall building. The TSA is there to protect the airplanes, not the people in the airport.

Run with that line.